I travelled solo today
At first blush, Tim would not strike you as a super-athlete. He is a soft-spoken, pensive and thoughtful. Tim is married. He and his wife live in Bristol, England where he works for Rolls Royce. He is a lead engineer, redesigning RR airplane engines into turbines for large ships. A big job.
Tim grew up in Lancashire, a short distance from England's Lake District where he would spend weekends and summers visiting his grandparents. That's where he developed his love for the outdoors. Tim rides mountain bikes and road bikes. He cyclotrons, cross-country ski's, rows, is a marathoner and a tri-athlete. He commutes on his bike 17 miles each way. The list goes on. Tim doesn't merely participate in these things, he thrives in them. He is skilled and fearless. Here in Nepal, he tackles inclines and declines with wild abandon.
As I write, I am in Gorkha where I am sitting atop a hill at the Hotel Gorkha Bishuni conversing with some missionaries from Arkansas, Indiana and Oregon, waiting for my mates. For four days we have been riding mostly off-road on jeep trails and challenging single track. Though the others have been patient with me, there is no question I have been holding them back. Today, they took the 3,500 six-mile uphill single-track to Gorkha. I opted for the 10 mile paved road. I'm so glad I did. It was a challenge. The slope and the humidity had me dripping in sweat. Nonetheless, I was at peace, going at my own pace, greeting locals and daydreaming. I didn't even notice that the missionaries had waived to me on the way up. Later they commented about how I appeared to be in a biking "zone". Right they were. They are here for two weeks helping with the massive rebuilding efforts. God's work.
We woke up this morning to our first sunrise. Watching the sun emerge over the Himalaya is one of the world's great experiences. Here near the top of the world, I am struggling, unsuccessfully, to conjure the words to describe it.
A shoutout to my friend Bob Baumwoll. Bob is a retired doctor. I had my monthly breakfast with him the Sunday before I left. He strongly suggested I bring some hydrocortisone cream, triple antibiotic ointment, my Epipen (last night I tutored the others on how to use it on me), electrolyte replacements, an assortment of stomach medicines and a host of other things. I'm a bit battered, physically and psychologically. Bob's suggested concoctions have really helped. Thanks Bob.
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Saturday, April 2nd
The most challenging day so far
Stephen is 69 and might be the fittest of us all. On our steep tarmac inclines, he is always tucked in behind Promol at the front. Very impressive. Stephen is also a cross-county skier.
15 years ago Stephen had a horrific skiing accident. He went off a cliff, fell about the "height of a house" and landed on his face. Others thought he was dead. He was unconscious and his teeth were shattered. To this day he has no recollection of the event. When he returned to work he had to relearn e knowledge and skills it took him 30 years to develop. He faked it as best he could, relying on his talented staff to get things done.
Stephen worked for many years as a town planner for the local community with a staff of 70. He decided to go out on his own and worked the last ten years as an consultant, drafting legislation and traveling the country lecturing on various aspects of town planning. He now thoroughly enjoys retirement.
Stephen and his wife Wendy live near Portsmouth on the south coast of england across from the Isle of Whyte. His daughter, her husband and their 10 month old daughter live nearby. Wendy's retirement took effect yesterday, while her husband was here with us. She had been a town librarian.
One of the reasons he came to Nepal is that his daughter lived here for a year in 2006. She loved it. Another interesting tidbit,
Stephen's black and white tv broke 35 years ago and he hasn't owned one since.
Today was the most challenging so far; eight and a half hours, 35 miles, 3,500 feet ascension. The part of these rides I find most difficult is coming off of a steep down hill and transitioning into an ascent. It's critical that you use you momentum to then take the uphill. This is where I keep screwing up. I don't come out of the downhill with enough speed, throw the bike into low gear, my front tire starts spinning and then comes off the ground. It's worse when the rocks are wet. I inevitably fall on my back or side. My bruises are accumulating.
An easier today tomorrow, thankfully.
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Friday, April 1, 2016
Today's class; riding steep hills in the fog and on wet rocks.
Besides Promod, we are supported by a driver, a cook and two helpers. That's a ratio of five staff to four guests. Such is post-earthquake Nepal. What regularly has been a trip of 12-16 guests is now down to the four of us. That's makes for a special experience for Stephen, Tim, Nick and me but for the staff that relies on tips, Himalaya Explorations, the tourism industry and the economy in general, it's devastating.
The staff is terrific. The language barrier makes it difficult to mix but I am grateful for their hard work, constant smiles and positive attitude. While we ride the trails, they take the Land Rover the long way around on the main roads. They set up our tents, cook our food, set up the latrine, transport our bags and much more. Last night they served us water buffalo dumplings, rice, vegetables and cole slaw. They then brought out canned peaches and tea. Marvelous. We all had seconds of everything.
After dinner we sat chatting for an hour before heading to the tents at 8:15. As best as I could tell, all flashlights were out by 8:30.
I awoke today, Friday, at 4:30 in the pitch black. I cobbled a few of my things together and quietly, so as not to disturb anyone, tiptoed to the setup where we had eaten last night.
As I had feared, two of the staff were there asleep. I couldn't see them but both rustled as I slipped by. Before sitting I took inventory of my body. I massaged my shoulders, did some twisting and turning, stretched my quads and hamstrings and then sat on the thin low back chair.
I sat there in the still for about 30 minutes, star-gazing and reflecting. This trip has been a stretch to my comfort zone, but I'm glad I'm here. It's a once in a lifetime experience, the landscape is dream like, I'm learning new skills and I'm making new friends. Pretty good, don't you think.
It was extremely quiet until 5 a.m. or so. Soon I was joined by a single chirping bird. Before I knew it, hundreds, maybe thousands joined in. There was a cachaany of tweeting, singing, cackling, crowing and pecking almost in chorus. Geckos scurried in the trees letting out their occasional mating calls. The jungle-like scene was almost mystic. I always cherish my morning time but today was particularly special. I'll remember it for a long time.
The cook was the next to rise. He didn't see me as he passed by to pee. I was surprised and pleased that he soaped and scrubbed his hands so well afterwards.
The rest of the staff was up by 5:30. Their first ritual is to bring hot tea to our tents at 6:30 followed by hot water basins at 6:45. Breakfast is at 7 and we depart at 8 sharp.
My real-time mountain biking lessons have been increasing daily in difficulty. Today's class; riding steep hills in the fog and on wet rocks. About 30 minutes into today's ride, while going up a very steep hill, my front tire skidded on a rock. I lost my momentum, couldn't regenerate my speed and fell backwards. I landed on my backpack which contained my camelback. The water blatter cushioned my fall but it exploded on impact. A half gallon of water drenched the other contents.
There were a couple of teenage kids who witnessed it. They burst into glorious laughter. Ordinarily I would have been humiliated but today I was grateful I could provide them such entertainment. The lives in these villages are monotonous. The natives take great pleasure is seeing us ride by. To wipe out was an added bonus, one they thoroughly enjoyed. I'm glad I could offer it to them.
Later in the day, immediately following lunch, we entered a single track path through a series of rice patties. Nick hit a ditch, went over his handle bars and shattered the brace holding his Garmin GPS. It's a shame. It was fun to track our distance, altitude, time, temperature and more. No longer.
Nick also got a flat tire. It's the group's four flat in two days. It's no surprise. High speed and sharp rocks do that kind of thing. Flats are a way of life for these trips.
There is a certain ethos amongst mountain bikers, or maybe it is Englishman, where complaints about injuries are forbidden. There is some talk about prior injuries but in a competitive sense; a sharing of tales about gashes, fractures and shattered helmets. Only in writing will I admit to my soreness, scrapes and bruises, which are plentiful. I think a two hour massage back in Kathmandu will be well in order.
Late in the day I took my camera glasses out to capture some video of the folks greeting our entry to their village. I discovered the glasses were water damaged by my earlier mishap. I was so bummed. When we arrived in camp I asked the cook to emerge the glasses in the huge rice sack for a couple of days. He was happy to oblige. For those of you that read Eric and my motorcycle blog you will remember that the rice trick worked on my iPhone in Yellowstone National Park a couple of years ago. Let's hope it works again.
Tonight's spectacular camping setting is along a river in Kalasti on the east side of Modi Khola. When we arrived we quickly jumped in the water to cool off, bathe and do some laundry. A half dozen young girls stood up on the slope watching and giggling. What a scene it was.
Go OU Sooners! Thinking of you Elliot and Molly.
George
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Location:Gorkha, Nepal
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